India, Egypt to jointly combat terrorism

New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Reaffirming their resolve to strengthen cooperation in combating terrorism at all levels, India and Egypt on Friday strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

The two countries, in a joint statement issued here, considered terrorism to be one of the “gravest threats” to international peace and security.

“They also reaffirmed their resolve to work together at the UN on concluding the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT),” it said.

President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is on a state visit to India from September 1 to 3. He has met President Pranab Mukherjee, Vive President Mohammed Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many other ministers and political leaders of the country.

Modi and Al-Sisi also agreed to further intensify political exchanges and consultations at the Joint Commission and Foreign Office Consultation levels to take bilateral relations to greater heights.

The two leaders agreed that India and Egypt enjoy strong, traditional and historical ties that have contributed to peace and development in their respective regions and beyond.

According to the joint statement, they welcomed the recent exchanges on security cooperation and counter-terrorism at the level of National Security Advisers, and welcomed the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation between the two National Security Councils.

They also noted with satisfaction that the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism met in January 2016 for joint efforts in combating terrorism, it said.

Modi expressed gratitude to Al-Sisi and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt for the repatriation in 2015 of the six Indian seamen who were detained in Egypt for two years.

Expressing strong support for the people and the Government of Iraq in their efforts to overcome the existing crisis to uphold Iraq’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the two leaders also condemned external interference in the internal affairs of Iraq.

Modi and Al-Sisi also expressed concern over the current political and security situation in Yemen and affirmed their full support for the unity and territorial integrity of the country.

They welcomed the expansion of Indian investment in Egypt, which is currently about $3 billion, and agreed that all investment related issues should be addressed in order to further boost bilateral trade and investments.

The two leaders agreed that in order to strengthen civilisational links and in a view towards the future, there should be more cultural and academic exchanges to promote closer understanding and linkages, especially among the youth.